Ex-Skins linebacker Marshall lands with Bengals

Just two days after his surprising release by the Washington Redskins, linebacker Lemar Marshall has a new home with an old friend.

Marshall

The versatile five-year veteran on Thursday signed a one-year contract with Cincinnati, a move that reunites him with Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, who helped resuscitate his career in Washington in 2002. Financial details of the contract were not immediately available.

The deal also marks a homecoming for Marshall, a Cincinnati native who played for St. Xavier High School there.

Cincinnati has been looking for a veteran linebacker who can play multiple positions and also contribute on special teams and, when Marshall became available on Tuesday morning, the club acted quickly to contact him. Marshall was released when the Redskins signed 11-year veteran Randall Godfrey.

Marshall, 30, was the Redskins' cumulative leader in tackles over the past two seasons, but was bumped from his middle linebacker spot this offseason when Washington signed former Buffalo standout London Fletcher as an unrestricted free agent.

The former Michigan State standout started all but one game at middle linebacker in 2006 and finished second on the team in tackles. He led the Redskins in tackles in 2005, starting at weakside linebacker.

After bouncing around training camps for three years, Marshall signed with Washington as a free agent in 2001. He earned a roster spot in 2002, when Lewis was defensive coordinator for the Redskins, and became a steady special teams contributor. Marshall appeared in 75 games for the Redskins and had 343 tackles.

With the Bengals, who now have nine linebackers on the roster, it is likely that Marshall will be a top backup at middle and weakside linebackers.

To create a roster spot for Marshall, the Bengals released second-year tight end Erik Jensen.

Source: ESPN.com